FOR PARENTS

A Message to Parents

For a young adult, the decision to join the Army will be the most important choice of his or her life. But that decision can be difficult to make without the support of family and friends. This section is designed to help you understand the benefits of your son or daughter's potential military service, and what you can expect for the future.

A Clear Future

The U.S Army and Army Reserve offer training and hands-on experience in hundreds of career paths. From engineering to law, medicine to mathematics, there are few institutions in the world that can match the training and educational services of the Army.

Aside from on-the-job training, the Army has dozens of programs designed to help Soldiers earn a college degree without having to swim through a sea of debt afterwards. The ROTC program for example, allows a young adult to attend college, receive Army training, and a commission as a U.S. Army Officer upon graduation.

Joining the Army is the opportunity to be a part of something greater than a nine to five office job. Army Soldiers have strength of body and character. They carry out orders with pride, and they are equipped to lead in any situation that requires a firm hand and a strong voice.

You will likely have questions about your son or daughter’s day-to-day life. Click the link below to learn more about a Soldier’s service options, deployment, what they’ll experience on a military base and how you’ll keep in touch with them while they’re abroad.

U.S. Army Soldiers live fast-paced lives. As a parent, you may be wondering about deployment, life on a military installation, and the methods of communcation that Soldiers use to keep in touch with their families.

Get to know how parents like you handled their son or daughter’s decision to enlist. Hear their stories, and find out how they participated in the process step-by-step - from their first reaction to the ultimate pride they feel today.

MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

Tyree: My mother was a single parent for a short time. And she pretty much did anything for me and you learn a lot from that. This man came into our lives and took care of us. And he's my role model...he's what I look to the way a man should be.

Dad: I told my kids; I want you to do better than I have. And he has.

Tyree: I joined the Army because I was working kind of a dead-end job. Really couldn't see myself climbing any kind of ladder, it was just something to do after school.

Mom: He knew that if he did this, then he could come out of it with a career, not just a job.

Tyree: I could see myself gaining leaps and bounds over everyone else because there's the education benefits, there's the...just the fact that you can go and see all kinds of places around the world. And I really wanted the experience.

Mom: He saw the world. You know, he saw the world through his own eyes.

Dad: Financial-wise there's something for him to lean back on. Something he can hold on to for his child.

Mom: With College, with housing, they would be there just like a parent.

Tyree: Just as long as you keep going forward, the sky's the limit on what you can become.

Dad: I told him when he got out, I think this is the best choice you made. I think this is the best choice you made.

Tyree: I did the right thing. I did what I needed to do better myself and better everyone else around me.